Posts
Most Americans Concerned About Housing Payments
More than half of Americans are worried about not having enough money to pay their mortgage or rent, according to a survey from the Washington Post released today.
A third of respondents were "very concerned" about their ability to make housing payments, while a fifth were "somewhat concerned," adding up to 53 percent of respondents. This contrasts to the results of similar surveys the newspaper conducted in February 2009 and December 2008.
In the 2008 survey, 37 percent of respondents said they were at least "somewhat concerned" about making their housing payments. By February 2009, that figure had risen to 46 percent.
In the latest survey, 15 percent of respondents said they were "not so concerned," while 28 percent said they were "not at all concerned." Three-quarters of African Americans were concerned; 55 percent were "very concerned," the paper said. The rest had no opinion.
"Americans' views about a moratorium are intertwined with their concerns about their personal finances and the economy. Opinions about whether homeowners or mortgage lenders are more to blame for homeowners' challenge in making payments and avoiding foreclosure haven't changed much since a September 2007 poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal and NBC.
The Washington Post survey found that 45 percent of respondents blamed lenders more, 26 percent blamed homeowners more, and 20 percent said they were equally at fault. The 2007 WSJ-NBC poll found 48 percent blamed lenders more, 27 blamed homeowners more, and 22 percent said they were equally responsible.
Despite concerns about the economy, the majority of respondents, 61 percent, said that now was a good time to buy a home. Twenty-nine percent said it was a bad time to buy, and 10 percent had no opinion.
